diff --git a/src/serializers/HdfSerializer.cpp b/src/serializers/HdfSerializer.cpp
index 5542a0da6e..720165ada9 100644
--- a/src/serializers/HdfSerializer.cpp
+++ b/src/serializers/HdfSerializer.cpp
@@ -252,6 +252,11 @@ void HdfSerializer::read_surface_style(surface_style_serialization& s, std::shar
 
 }
 
+void HdfSerializer::remove(const std::string& guid) {
+	if (H5Lexists(file.getId(), guid.c_str(), H5P_DEFAULT)) {
+		file.unlink(guid);
+	}
+}
 
 const IfcGeom::Element* HdfSerializer::read(IfcParse::IfcFile& f, const std::string& guid, unsigned int representation_id, read_type rt) {
 	if (!H5Lexists(file.getId(), guid.c_str(), H5P_DEFAULT)) {
diff --git a/src/serializers/HdfSerializer.h b/src/serializers/HdfSerializer.h
index 614cada7c0..2b18791a48 100644
--- a/src/serializers/HdfSerializer.h
+++ b/src/serializers/HdfSerializer.h
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ public:
 	H5::Group write(const IfcGeom::Element* o);
 	void write(const IfcGeom::BRepElement* o);
 	void write(const IfcGeom::TriangulationElement* o);
+	void remove(const std::string& guid);
 
 	const IfcGeom::Element* read(IfcParse::IfcFile& f, const std::string& guid, unsigned int representation_id, read_type rt = READ_BREP);